John Paul II Homilies

MASS FOR RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMENON THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

SEVENTH WORLD DAY OF CONSECRATED LIFE

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Saturday, 1 February 2003

1."When the time came for their purification ... they brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord" (Lk 2,22). The Infant Jesus entered the temple of Jerusalem in the arms of his Virgin Mother.

"Born of woman, born under the law" (Gal 4,4), he submitted to the destiny of every first-born male child of his people: according to the Law of the Lord he had to be "ransomed" with a sacrifice, 40 days after his birth (cf. Ex 13,2.12; Lv 12,1-8).

CELEBRATION OF VESPERS FOR THE CONCLUSIONOF THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Basilica of St Paul outside the WallsSaturday, 25 January 2003

1. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Cor 4:7).

These words, taken from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, have been the guiding theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which concludes today. They shed light on our meditation during this evening liturgy of the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. The Apostle reminds us that we carry the "treasure" which Christ has given us in earthen vessels. All Christians are thus called to press forward on their earthly pilgrimage without letting themselves be overwhelmed by difficulties or afflictions (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8), in the certainty that they will overcome all obstacles thanks to the help and the power which come from on high.

1. "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near" (Is 55,6).

These words from the second part of the Book of Isaiah ring out on this Sunday that ends the Christmas season. They are an invitation to go more deeply into the meaning for us of today's Feast, the Baptism of the Lord.

In spirit let us return to the banks of the Jordan where John the Baptist administered a Baptism of repentance, exhorting to conversion. Coming up to the Precursor is Jesus, and with his presence he transformed that gesture of repentance into a solemn manifestation of his divinity. A voice suddenly comes from heaven: "You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased" (Mk 1,11) and, in the form of a dove, the Spirit descends upon Jesus.

Notice how the prophet Isaiah speaks to the city of Jerusalem. He invites her to let herself be enlightened by her Lord, the infinite light that makes his glory shine over Israel. The people of God are called to become light themselves in order to direct the way of the nations, over whom hang "darkness" and "thick clouds" (Is 60,2).

1. "The Lord bless you and keep you.... The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace" (Nm 6,24.26): this is the blessing that the priests of the Old Testament gave the Chosen People on the great religious feast days. Today, the ecclesial community listens to it again, while it asks the Lord to bless the new year we have just begun.

With these words the Apostle Paul sums up the mystery of the Son of God, "begotten not made, one in being with the Father".

"Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius" (You are the eternal Son of the Father), we have just sung in the hymn Te Deum. In the inscrutable abyss of God, Christ's mission has its origin ab aeterno (from eternity), and is destined "to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1,10).

1. "Dum medium silentium teneret omnia..."– "While earth was rapt in silence and night only half through its course, your almighty Word, O Lord, came down from his royal throne" (Antiphon to the Magnificat, 26 December).

On this Holy Night the ancient promise is fulfilled: the time of waiting has ended and the Virgin gives birth to the Messiah.

Jesus is born for a humanity searching for freedom and peace; he is born for everyone burdened by sin, in need of salvation, and yearning for hope.

1. "Brethren, rejoice always (I Thes 5,16). The invitation of the Apostle Paul to the faithful of Thessalonica, that has just been read, expresses well the atmosphere of today's liturgy. Indeed, today is the third Sunday of Advent, traditionally known as "Gaudete" (Rejoice) Sunday, from the Latin Word with which the Entrance Antiphon begins.

ADVENT MASS FOR THE FACULTY AND STUDENTSOF THE ROMAN STATE UNIVERSITIES

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Tuesday, 10 December 2002

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (Is 40,1).

With this invitation the section of the Book of Isaiah known as the "Book of Consolation" begins. In it the Second Isaiah brings to the people in exile the joyful proclamation of liberation. The time of punishment is over; Israel can look forward confidently to the future: at long last it awaits the return to its native soil.

Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood, Your Excellencies the Ambassadors, Brothers and Sisters, Mabuhay ang Filipinas [Long live the Filipinos].

1. "For you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name" (Is 63,16; cf. RSV). At the beginning of Advent, the liturgy invites us once again to savour the comforting message of God's fatherhood. The words from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we have just heard take us to the heart of Jesus' teaching. To the direct request of his disciples: "Lord, teach us to pray", he replies by encouraging them to call God by the loving name of "Father" (cf. Lk 11,1-4).